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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fine — all right
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. toast — bread
  8. rock — music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rock — a stone
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — clever
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — final
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com